The present invention relates to a track pad for a chain of a chain wheel drive, the track pad having a bearing surface provided with at least one grouser extending in the lateral direction of the bearing surface. In particular, the grouser may extend form a base plate of the track pad.
Known track pads have a grouser pad profile of the bearing surface in order to provide a maximum of grip of the bearing surface with the ground for translational movement in the forward or backward direction or a flat pad profile to provide a maximum contact surface of the bearing surface.
In known track pads having a grouser pad profile, the track pad is constituted by a flat base plate from which the grousers extend along the entire lateral width and have, at least over most part of the track pad, the same elevation. Such a track pad may be mounted to a chain of a chain wheel drive by screws that go through holes provided in the base plate.
However, when the machine moves around a corner, the two chain wheel drives perform a rotating movement such that the grip provided by the grousers creates large shearing forces within the chain. In particular, when the track pads are fixed to the chain elements of the chain by fixing screws, there will be large shearing forces acting on these screws and the portion of the track pad where the screws are located. This will lead to considerable wear-down of the track pads grousers and might lead to the shearing of the fixing screws. Further, the grousers of known grouser pads also create a lot of destruction on the soil during rotation of the chain wheel drive around a vertical axis.